The Inland Voyager's Handbook: How to Cruise the Inland Waterways in Safety and Comfort

Danny L. Davis learned basic yacht design from the Westlawn Institute and received his 50-ton Masters License with Towing and Auxiliary Sailing endorsements from the Coast Guard. He has been a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary for over ten years performing many safety patrols, boat safety inspections, and teaching boating safety to hundreds of new boaters. For more than 25 years, he and his partner have explored the inland waterways from Corpus to the Eire Canal, Puget Sound, and Hawaii.

Introduction

How this book can help you

What are the Inland Waterways?

Part One: Boats for Inland Voyaging

Chapter One: The Desire to Own a Cruising Boat

Steel, Fiberglass, or Something Else?

New Boats or Used?

Fuel and Propulsion Issues

Pre-Ownership Resources

Chapter Two: Accommodations

Overview

Staterooms

Saloons

Inboard Engine Noise

Trawler and Sailboat Saloons

The Head

The Galley

The Engine Room

Chapter Three: Boat Engineering

Fiberglass History

A Look at Four Different Boat Styles

Design Ratios and Engineering Considerations

Hulls and Designs

Developing the Basic Design

Out-of-Bounds Extremes

Chapter Four: The Business of Buying a Boat

Working with a Broker

Contracts

Surveyors and Sea Trials

Negotiations

The Boat that Did Not Finish

Chapter Five: Upgrading Your Boat

Thoughts on Upgrades

Prop Pullers

Dinghies

Deck Lights

Chapter Six: Cruising on the ICW

Schuckers and Thompsons: Two Lesser-Know Boats Worth Consideration

Chapter Seven: Ropes, Lines, and Rigging

Chapter Eight: Where Will I Store the Boat?

Yacht Clubs

Marinas

Boatyards

Seasonal Storage

Peculiarities of Sailboats and Their Care

Steering Systems

Through-Hulls and Seacocks

Lightning Protection

Boatyard Time

Chapter Nine: Life Aboard

Provisioning: Buying Strategies

Housekeeping Tips

Money and Mail

Part Two: Inland Boating

Chapter Ten: Boater Safety

Boater Training

Safety Gear

Life Jackets

Vessel Safety Check

Mixing People and Water

Chapter Eleven: First Lessons

First Time at Sea

Boat Stores

Chapter Twelve: Impediments to Life Aboard Ship

The Biggest Cruising Problem

Electrical Power: Generation and Storage

Refrigeration

Chapter Thirteen: Anchoring Systems

How Anchors Work

Selecting Anchors

Problems with Stock Type Anchors

Anchor Sizing

Scope

Anchor Chain

Fitting the Chain on the Boat

Refining the Ground-Tackle System

Snubbers

The Art of Weighing Anchor

Where to Anchor

Anchoring Choices and Your Cruising Style

Cruising Guides

Water Depth

Boat Behavior on the Hook

Windage

Chapter Fourteen: Weather

Weather Basics

Weather Patterns

Clouds and Forecasts

Weather Reports

Chapter Fifteen: Communications

VHF Radios

VHF Range

VHF Radio Safety Features

Safety Issues

A Case of Search and Rescue

Information Sources

Radio Types

 Radio Etiquette

Chapter Sixteen: Navigation

Dead Reckoning

Charts

Navigating When You Can't See

Chapter Seventeen: Rules of the Road

COLREGS

Chapter Eighteen: Bridges

Bridges that Open

Running the Bridges

Wet Road Rage

Chapter Nineteen: Locks

Transiting a Lock

The Industrial Canal Lock

Avoiding the Industrial Canal Lock

Part Three: The Inland Waterways

Chapter Twenty: Cruising on the Waterways

Cruising Speed

Meeting and Passing

Stopping Along the Way

Firearms On Board

Chapter Twenty-One: Memorable Trips and Lessons

The Great Loop Trip

The Hudson River

The Okeechobee Waterway

Offshore Delights

Offshore Seas

European Canal Cruising

Favorite Places

Seafaring Lessons Learned

Postmortem

Appendices

A: Suppliers and Resources

B: Tools and Maintenance Supplies

C: Reference Books

D: Sample Contract

E: Sea Spirit (ex-Digger's Dream) Survey

Sea Jay Survey

Index